The Dyke March is a mostly lesbian-led gathering and protest march held in the Castro District during San Franciso Gay Pride Week to increase lesbian visibility and activism. They are inclusive of all women-loving-women regardless of labels, including bisexual, intersex and transgender women.

When is it?

The 2013 SF Dyke March will be held at Dolores Park on Saturday, June 29, 2013.

What can I expect?

The Dyke March is informal: Marchers create their own signs and most people that show up aren’t there to watch, they’re there to participate! Gay men are sprinkled along the sides of the street supporting the women. The march begins at Dolores Park where participants say speeches, give performances and partake in community networking. It ends in the Castro District at the Pink Saturday party — and the Dyke March sound-truck becomes a stage for more performances. Even though the San Francisco Dyke March has a lot of attendees (about 50,000), it still remains a peaceful and well-organized event.

Since the birth of the Dyke March, the San Francisco Dyke March Committee (a small group of volunteers) has never received nor applied for a permit from the city, exercising the First Amendment right to gather without permits and without corporate sponsorships, according to Wikipedia.

When Was the First SF Dyke March?

The First SF Dyke March was in June of 1993. A group of San Francisco lesbians joined the Lesbian Avengers, Queer Nation and the National ACT UP Women’s Committee to come together and march for lesbian and gay rights. More than 10,000 lesbians attended the first San Francisco Dyke March. Today, the San Francisco Dyke March is the largest in the nation and has seen over 50,000 attendees.

The Dyke Identity

“The San Francisco Dyke March is for dykes. Dykes gather at the Dyke March to celebrate our love and passion for women and for ALL dykes. We celebrate our queerness in all its manifestations. We understand dyke identity to include those of us who are questioning and challenging gender constructs and the social definitions of women: transdyke, MTF, transfeminine, transmasculine, genderqueer, and gender fluid dykes. We also welcome all women who want to support dykes to march with us. Celebrate dyke diversity!

We continue to hold the Dyke March as dyke-only space. We invite our male allies to enjoy our Dolores Park rally with us, and to please support us from the sidelines during our march to Castro.” -- www.thedykemarch.org